The Ladies of Longbourn (Pemberley Chronicles #4) Book

While Ms. Collins writes well, I finally realized what it is about this series that disappoints me.

First, all of her main characters are so disgustingly good and modern in their outlook. The reason we like Darcy and Elizabeth is that they are flawed, and those flaws almost keep them from the person best suited to them. The fact that they slowly learn and become better people is half the fun of P&P. The worst that can be said of any of these later characters is that they make mistakes in judgment, quickly rectified. They also are so politically correct in outlook that they're not entirely believable (they support votes for all, treat their tenants amazingly well, are worried about environmental concerns, etc.). Jane Austen gave her characters flaws to make them more interesting.

Also, there is no real suspense or tragedy in their lives that isn't overcome very easily. Anne Marie is saved from a bad marriage by a very fortuitous death (this isn't a spoiler since it happens right at the beginning of the book). This also isn't the first time it's happened in the series, as it happened earlier to her father. There's also no suspense in what will eventually happen to them. There's part of it that's almost bland, since there's no real surprise.

That being said, the books do well at showing the history of the time period. Her writing is good, and her characters are likable. Just know that there aren't any real surprises.